Chocolate Peanut Butter Hi-Hat Cupcake Recipe

These chocolate peanut butter cupcakes loaded with dark chocolate chips, topped with peanut butter frosting, then dipped in more chocolate are a sight to behold.  This is the ultimate chocolate peanut butter cupcake!  Take a look inside:

I developed this recipe last November, but only shared the recipe with those who made a donation to FilterPure (a non-profit committed to providing safe drinking water to the at risk populations of the developing world). Through this effort, Cupcake Project readers raised over $3000 for FilterPure.  At the time, I promised that in six months I would make the recipe public.  This week, three different readers pointed out to me that I'm late.  So, with no further stalling, here it is.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Hi-Hat Cupcake Recipe

Note: I created this original cupcake recipe. However, the recipe for the peanut butter frosting is from AllRecipes and I have re-written it in my own words

Yield: 18 Cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup peanut oil
• 3/4 cup milk (I used 2%, but if you have another kind on hand, go ahead and use it)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Cupcake Directions:

1. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and cocoa powder.
2. In another medium-sized bowl, mix sugar, peanut butter, and eggs until well combined.
3. Mix oil, milk, and vanilla into the wet ingredients.
4. Slowly add the flour mixture until fully incorporated.
5. Fold in chocolate chips.
6. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
7. Bake at 350 F for thirty minutes or until cupcakes bounce back when lightly touched.

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups smooth peanut butter
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons milk (I used 2%, but if you have another kind on hand, go ahead and use it)

Frosting Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix butter and peanut butter until fully combined.
2. Mix in powdered sugar a little bit at a time until fully incorporated.
3. Add milk a little bit at a time and keep mixing until the frosting becomes light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
4. Pipe a swirl of frosting onto each cupcake using a large round tip (I used Wilton tip number 1A , but if you don’t have a tip, you can just cut the end off of a sandwich bag).
5. Place frosted cupcakes in the freezer for at least an hour. (If you don’t have room in the freezer, you can cool the cupcakes in the refrigerator or – in a pinch – you could not cool them at all. I found that the frozen cupcakes were the easiest to dip. But, I dipped a whole batch of room temperature ones and they all worked; the chocolate was just a wee bit drippier.)

Chocolate Dip Ingredients

• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons peanut oil

Chocolate Dip Directions

1. Place chocolate chips and oil into a tall microwave-safe cup (I used a two cup Pyrex measuring cup).
2. Microwave for twenty seconds at a time (stirring in between) until all of the chocolate is melted.
3. Let the chocolate sit for a couple of minutes so it is still warm but not so hot that it burns you if you touch it.
4. Take the frosted cupcakes out of the freezer. One by one, grab the cupcakes by their wrappers, turn them upside-down, and dunk them into the cup of melted chocolate - making sure that all of the frosting gets covered. (If you listen carefully, you may be able to hear them squealing, “Wheeee!”) Let the cupcakes hover over the cup of chocolate until all of the excess chocolate drips off.
5. Admire your work.
6. Store cupcakes in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat them!

Final Note

Although a donation is no longer required to get this recipe, if you liked the recipe and can spare a dollar or two, FilterPure could still use your help.  You can donate online through the FilterPure website.